Reasons to love living in Milton Keynes #3

Milton Keynes has a sense of humour.

These are the famous concrete cows. They started life in 1978 as an art installation, they are now in the Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre.

I guess they are meant to represent the march of the new metropolis, concreting over fields and cows or something (I don't really do modern art-speak). I hope they were created by an artist with their tongue positioned firmly in their cheek, because - as residents of Milton Keynes will know - this new city* is greener than the average city. There are fields and parks and canals and woods and open spaces. They aren't just dotted around, here and there. The houses fit into the greenery. In fact, you often can't see the houses for the trees.

The trouble is, a lot of people have a perception of Milton Keynes that is based on the concrete cows. I suppose they have no reason to see beyond them, after all there are a lot of roundabouts to navigate in Milton Keynes. If you're only heading for the shops you may not be looking out for much more than road signs. Let's just hope you don't see the monstrosity that is The Hub! It's only when you spend a bit of time here that you hope decide the concrete cows are mostly a joke.





*Milton Keynes is not a city, but everyone here acts as if it is.



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